The candidate filing deadline in Texas has come and gone, and here's how things stand in the various statewide races, all of which are currently held by Republicans (*denotes incumbent):

GOVERNOR:

Republicans: Rick Perry*, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, activist Debra Medina.
Democrats: former Houston Mayor Bill White, businessman Farouk Shami, physician Alma Ludivina Aguado, teacher Felix Alvarado, private investigator Bill Dear.

LT. GOVERNOR:

Republican: David Dewhurst*.
Democrats: former Travis Co. District Attorney Ronnie Earle, former national AFL-CIO official Linda Chavez-Thompson, businessman Marc Katz.

ATTORNEY GENERAL:

Republican: Greg Abbott*.
Democrats: attorney Barbara Ann Radnofsky, the unsuccessful Democratic nominee against Sen. Hutchison in 2006.

COMPTROLLER:

Republican: Susan Combs*.

AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER:

Republican: Todd Staples*.
Democrats: humorist Kinky Friedman, rancher Hank Gilbert. Both Friedman and Gilbert had been in the gubernatorial contest until Bill White entered and the party establishment coalesced around him.

LAND COMMISSIONER:

Republican: Jerry Patterson*.
Democrats: former state Sen. Hector Uribe, Bill Burton.

RAILROAD COMMISSIONER:

Republican: Victor Carrillo*.
Democrats: attorney Jeff Weems.

Note: Both LG Dewhurst and AG Abbott are likely candidates for the Senate appointment once Hutchison resigns her seat, which is now thought to happen in March.

Also, several independent gubernatorial candidates are running, including Stephen McGee and Kevin Sill. Katherine Glass is running under the Libertarian Party banner.

Every member of the Texas congressional delegation is seeking another term. One, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D), faces a potentially serious primary challenge from Houston City Councilmember Jarvis Johnson. Houston Chronicle's Joe Holley sees the race as an outgrowth of the bad feelings generated in Houston's black community in 2008 when Jackson Lee supported Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama, who was backed by Johnson. Jackson Lee has been in Congress since 1994, when she toppled then-Rep. Craig Washington in the Democratic primary.

The primary is March 2.

Tags: On The Ballot